Hello and welcome to my Slash Brainstorm review.
In this review I will take a look at the Brainstorm as an all mountain snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Brainstorm a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Slash Brainstorm
Price: $549
Style: All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5.5/10)
Rating Score: 88.6/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain Boards
Of the 32 current model all-mountain snowboards that we tested:
❄️ The Brainstorm ranked 7th out of 32
Overview of the Brainstorm’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Brainstorm’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain |
Price: | $549 - BUYING OPTIONS |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Fast |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Setback 15mm |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Felt a little lighter than normal on snow |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
151 | 247 | 125 - 165 | 57-75 |
154 | 248 | 130 - 170 | 59-77 |
157 | 250 | 140 - 190 | 64-86 |
159W | 259 | 140 - 190 | 64-86 |
160 | 252 | 160 - 210 | 73-95 |
163W | 263 | 160-220+ | 73-100+ |
Who is the Brainstorm Most Suited To?
The Brainstorm is ideal for anyone looking for a do-it-all, one board quiver that can take them anywhere on the mountain and do anything there. It can handle all sorts of different terrain well too from hard pack to powder.
If all of the above sounds like you, plus you like your board to be playful, then the Brainstorm is likely a great option for you.
Not for someone on their first day on a board, but doable for a high-end beginner. Great for intermediate riders or an advanced rider that likes things on the playful side.
The Brainstorm in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Brainstorm is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Slash Brainstorm 2020, 157cm (250mm waist width)
Date: March 2, 2019
Conditions:
Bright blue skies. Groomers hard but not icy. A little cruddy in places.
Some light fresh off-groomer.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 600mm (23.6″)
Stance Setback: Setback 15mm
Width at Inserts: 263mm (10.35") at back insert and 261mm (10.28") at the front insert
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 185lbs
Rider Boot Size: US10 Vans Aura
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Powder
From the little bits of fresh snow I found, I feel like the Brainstorm would be really good and really fun in there. Also based on when I rode the 2017 model and had a good amount of powder to work with - and it was awesome fun in there!
Also based on specs, the Brainstorm has a bit of setback, plenty of rocker, and more rocker in the nose vs the tail.
Carving & Turning
Carving: Not an aggressive carver by any means. It's a more playful kind of board. You can carve but it's not a mean carver. The camber in this board felt really subtle.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Really quick edge-to-edge. Was fun for short sharp turns.
S Turns and Skidded Turns: Turn initiations were easy and skidding turns was no issue on this board at all. Which is one thing that makes it doable for high end beginners.
Speed
Gets a little wobbly when really getting up speed. But good until you start to really open it out. But when you ride it really fast and try and lay into some carves it becomes a little on the looser side.
Uneven Terrain
Hugged the bumps really well and nice and maneuverable for dodging them.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
This video is for 2019 model, but I will update it for the 2021 model, If I find a new video. But the 2021 model is the same as it has been for years. Also, one of the guys in this video mentions the Brainstorm being aggressive. I definitely found it to be more playful than aggressive though.
Jumps
Overall a fun board to hit jumps on from small to large, but with medium being it's sweet spot.
Pop: Not oodles of pop but relatively poppy - and really easy to access all the pop that it has - don't have to load it up much at all.
Approach: Nimble and relatively stable. For really large jumps might get a little wobbly on approach.
Landing: Solid enough without being an out an out stomper. But nice and forgiving for smaller jumps or someone just starting on jumps.
Side-hits: Really fun for small side-hits - nimble and easy access pop.
Small jumps/Big jumps: Slightly preferred small jumps over big jumps - but medium jumps were it's sweet spot for sure.
Switch
Despite that directional camber profiles (more rocker in tip than tail) and the 15mm setback, the Brainstorm felt good riding switch.
Spins
Felt light and easy to get around, and had enough pop. Landing and taking off switch was pretty good too, without being perfect.
Jibbing
Not the perfect jibber, but not bad either. Really good for an all-mountain board.
Butters
Nice and buttery. Not like ultra-easy to butter, but still easy to butter.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4 | 12/15 |
| Carving | 3 | 6/10 |
| Turns | 4 | 8/10 |
| Speed | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Crud | 4 | 8/10 |
| Trees | 4 | 8/10 |
| Switch | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Jumps | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Spins | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Butters | 4 | 4/5 |
| Rails | 3 | 3/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 88.6/100 |
Overall, the Brainstorm is a really fun do-it-all board that is on the playful side - with quite subtle camber and more prominent rocker - but still manages good edge-hold in harder conditions.
And as a nice bonus on top, it's a relatively inexpensive board too.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Brainstorm, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other all-mountain snowboard options, or if you want to see how the Brainstorm compares to other all-mountain snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hello and welcome to my Slash Brainstorm review.
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